Combining Prehension and Propulsion
The Foot of Ardipithecus ramidus
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23364530 |
|---|---|
| Authors | C Owen Lovejoy (0000-0003-0053-4523, Kent State University), Bruce Latimer (Department of Anatomy, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.), Gen Suwa (0000-0003-3880-2458, University Museum, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.), Berhane Asfaw (Rift Valley Research Service, P.O. Box 5717, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.), Tim D White (0000-0003-1266-7489, Human Evolution Research Center and Department of Integrative Biology, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA., corresponding author) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 326 |
| Issue | 5949 |
| Pages | 72 |
| Publication date | 2009-10-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0036-8075 • E-ISSN: 0193-4511 |
| Publisher | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1126/science.1175832 |
| PMID | 19810198 |
| OpenAlex | W1977421720 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 109 |
| References cited | 34 |
Several elements of the Ardipithecus ramidus foot are preserved, primarily in the ARA-VP-6/500 partial skeleton. The foot has a widely abducent hallux, which was not propulsive during terrestrial bipedality. However, it lacks the highly derived tarsometatarsal laxity and inversion in extant African apes that provide maximum conformity to substrates during vertical climbing. Instead, it exhibits primitive characters that maintain plantar rigidity from foot-flat through toe-off, reminiscent of some Miocene apes and Old World monkeys. Moreover, the action of the fibularis longus muscle was more like its homolog in Old World monkeys than in African apes. Phalangeal lengths were most similar to those of Gorilla . The Ardipithecus gait pattern would thus have been unique among known primates. The last common ancestor of hominids and chimpanzees was therefore a careful climber that retained adaptations to above-branch plantigrady.
Australopithecus · Biological evolution · Biology · Bipedalism · Climbing · Evolutionary biology · Extant taxon · Foot (prosody) · Gorilla · Hominidae · Primate · Anatomy · Ecology · Evolution and Paleontology Studies · Paleontology · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Primate Behavior and Ecology
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| Unique citing works | 109 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 6,41 |
| Citation span | 2009 - 2026 (18) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | Yes |
| Citation types | Neutral: 96 |